Danny Cipriani shone on his debut, while Val Rapava-Ruskin was another standout performer in a dominant pack as Gloucester showed why so many people are tipping them for a top four finish.

Cipriani wins Battle of the Dans

A fascinating sub-plot to this first game of the season was the head-to-head between Cipriani and Northampton’s Dan Biggar – the man hoping to nail down the England number 10 jersey against the long-time first-choice Wales fly-half in what could be a taster of what is to come when the two countries meet in the next Six Nations.

Both players were on debut for their new clubs and looking to impress but there was no doubt that Cipriani came out on top as he took the adulation from the Gloucester fans, receiving the man of the match award from BT Sport.

Cipriani brilliantly orchestrated Gloucester’s attacks and showcased his sublime talent with a flick of those golden wrists for a sumptuous long pass that set up Charlie Sharples a try.

He was also instrumental in the first try as it was his perfectly timed pass that set Jason Woodward on a fine run deep into Northampton territory before a penalty was won and after a kick to the corner the pack did the rest for James Hanson to score.

In contrast, Biggar struggled at the restarts with a couple failing to reach 10 metres and one sailing straight out of play to be subjected to ‘eeyores’ from The Shed.

Usually so reliable from the tee, Biggar was slightly off-colour here too with two kicks that were well off target.

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He was a threat with the ball in hand at times though and used his potent weapon of the Garryowen to good effect on a couple of occasions, while he saved what looked like a certain try for powerful Gloucester wing Matt Banahan with a brave last-ditch tackle.

But this was Cipriani’s and Gloucester’s day as the club’s star signing got off to a wonderful start.

Val Rapava-Ruskin one to watch this season

While Cipriani took the headlines, Rapava-Ruskin was also deserving of the plaudits after his storming display.

He also came out on top in his enthralling head-to-head battle - against two-time New Zealand World Cup winner Ben Franks no less - as the Georgian-born loose-head exerted his authority in the scrum.

Gloucester Rugby's Val Rapava Ruskin (Image: PA)

Described by Gloucester captain Ed Slater as an “absolute animal,” Rapava-Ruskin was always in the thick of the action with one outstanding break as he carried strongly and showed his defensive work with an interception and good work at the breakdown.

This was without doubt Rapava-Ruskin’s best performance in a Gloucester shirt after a first season where his potential was unfulfilled with some untimely injuries that proved disruptive.

Gloucester were also strong in the lineout and displayed their immense power as a forwards unit as they powered over from a maul for the first try early on.

There is a sense that Gloucester are getting back to the old tradition of having a big, nasty, powerful pack with plenty of grunt and the old Gloucester Dog.

The frightening thing for the rest of their Premiership rivals is that they can still add to it with a portion of South African beef as Ruan Dreyer, Gerbrandt Grobler, Franco Mostert and Jaco Kriel are all still to come into the mix.

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A sign of better times ahead?

Perhaps the most encouraging period of this game for Gloucester was the 20 minutes after half-time when Northampton had a lot of possession but did not add to their score.

Head coach Johan Ackermann often spoke last season about dealing with momentum shifts in games and it was something Gloucester struggled with, as was shown in the European Challenge Cup final defeat when they looked in control before Cardiff Blues staged an unlikely comeback.

As it is only one game in it is too early to say if this problem has been eradicated, but it was a good sign of better times ahead as they rode out the Saints storm at 21-11 ahead and didn’t give them an easy route back into the game as has been the case in the past.

Gloucester also played for 20 minutes with a man short due to yellow cards for Slater and Tom Hudson but showed good character in these periods as they conceded just eight points and scored six of their own if you count the penalty that was won moments before Hudson returned.

It was a well-rounded performance from Gloucester and certainly gives hope that they can be serious play-off challengers this time.